CLEVELAND – The most recent national champion on South Carolina women’s basketball’s roster isn’t any of the four players from the 2022 team.

It’s senior center Sakima Walker, who won the junior college national championship last season with Northwest Florida State College.

“I’m really excited about that journey and I’m really excited that I went there,” Walker said Friday. “It’s just a different experience. It’s a part of my life and my journey. I just embrace it.”

One season later, she has a chance to claim another national title. Walker and the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks (36-0) will start its Final Four march against No. 3 seed NC State (31-6) on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Walker started her career at Rutgers, where she was battling depression and “so many other things,” she said in an Instagram post, and became ineligible during her second season with the Scarlet Knights.

So, she made the move to junior college, playing at Northwest Florida State for a season, where she was named the NJCAA DI Player of the Year. In the title game against Trinity Valley Community College, Walker scored 23 points, including seven in overtime.

“It gave me a fresh start,” Walker said. “The fan base, the coaches, my teammates – we all were there for a reason. I think we really bonded well, and I was able to get that family feel and the support I felt I needed.”

And a shot at a rare feat if South Carolina is crowned national champion.

“If we get the job done on Sunday, I would have a championship from every level from middle school to high school to juco and then, now, this level,” Walker said. “I don’t know too many people who could say they’ve done that.”

While the stage is bigger for the 6-foot-5 Walker, the stakes don’t feel higher.

“She’s been here even if it’s at a different level,” forward Chloe Kitts said. “She’s been to a championship area. She has knowledge and we get that knowledge from her. We pick her brain.”

Walker had narrowed her options between South Carolina and Ole Miss. She chose the Gamecocks because of the program’s history and the chance to win a national championship. She also knew coach Dawn Staley and the staff would help improve her game.

Her role is vastly different at South Carolina. She averages two points per game in 7.8 minutes. After playing a whopping 16:25 against Presbyterian in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, she played five minutes in the second round against North Carolina. Walker hasn’t seen the court since except for warmups.

“I stay ready when my name is called,” Walker said. “I feel like I’m a good impact to the team. I bring a lot of different things – whatever is required of me, that’s just what I just go out there and do.”

A major part of her role is off the court, where she’s built a strong relationship with her teammates. She’s called herself the team mom, referring to Staley’s colloquial “daycare” nickname this team has earned. Kitts goes to Walker for personal advice.

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Walker is part of a deep post group. There’s the 6-7 Kamilla Cardoso, who was named the WBCA Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-2 Kitts and 6-3 Ashlyn Watkins have split starts all season and 6-3 Sania Feagin has already been to a national championship with the Gamecocks.

Together, they make up the No. 1 shot-blocking defense in the nation, and each combination provides a different set of skills and a new look for opposing offenses.

“It’s just exciting knowing that when you’re on the floor with a different group or different person, you’re going to get a different feel,” Walker said. “That’s huge. It helped us get to where we are now.”

Evan Gerike covers South Carolina women's basketball for the Greenville News. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanGerike.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Who is center Sakima Walker for South Carolina women's basketball?